We arrived at the 2024 Festival on Saturday around noon and there was plenty of parking lots and it…read moreseemed like they were prepared for the crowds. We stopped at HenDough (which was only a few minutes from the actual festival) to grab doughnuts before getting started. Since the Apple festival was the main reason for our trip to Hendersonville we were prepared to try all types of Apple products. There were farm stands selling fresh apples, Apple Cider and a few stands with Apple Slushies; BUT HONESTLY THIS COULD'VE JUST BEEN CALLED [The Hendersonville Festival]. On one end there was festival type foods (corndogs, funnel cakes, turkey legs) and a few carnival rides for kids age 7-12. Not really for toddlers. The other end is plenty of arts & crafts, t-shirts and other vendors to spend money on. The Apple product stands were far few in between: one stand selling fried apple pies/baked apple frittata but they only accepted cash. Overall, this was a good way to spend time as a family but I expected way more apples goodness.

How can you not put 5 stars! This is a small town country apple festival. Not a lot of shopping…read morevendors, it's hot, it's loud and fried food everything! It's .08 miles from 1 end of the street to the other. Parking is ample and runs about $5-$10. This isn't Carowinds, Six Flags, or Dollywood. Again this is a small town apple festival and it's a perfect way to spend the afternoon. Also note all the regular stores of downtown are open for shopping and lunches, etc. so get in the car, get a spot, and go for a walk! If you get thirsty, there are plenty of places to stop and get a drink.

This was our second time coming to the Strawberry Festival. The last time we went was 8-10 years…read moreago. We enjoyed ourselves each time. Tips: Arrive first thing when they open to avoid traffic and finding a spot to park. They have several different lots to choose from - some will shuttle you or others are a short walk. We chose the lot with the short walk. Bring cash for this - it's $5. Arriving early allows you to walk around to each of the vendors before it gets slammed just to check things out. Lines for food started early, so if you think about having lunch at 12, be prepared for long lines. We had no issues with vendors accepting credit card or cash. Bring water. We brought our hydroflask filled with water and ice which was nice because it gets warm fast. What I love: That each vendor had at least one menu item featuring strawberries - whether it is a dessert or a meal. If you love strawberries like me, you can find a lot of great items to fill you up! Look forward to it again next year, it's a great time!

AMAZING fun time for the whole family! Great food selection from many LOCAL food establishments…read morethat have their own trucks. A standard set of faire food too... YES on the FUNNEL CAKE! A good set of rides for kids aged 8-12 years old. Prices are carnival-level... not cheap... but understandable. LOTS of lawn and grass areas to hang out. LOTS of police and safety folks very visible. All the tent vendors are in the shade, so it was easy and nice to walk around and visit them out from the sun. LOTS of toilets... AND a physical toilet building for those that dont like the plastic portable toilets. There is a NEW kids area they built in the park and they had it fenced in so the kids would not be running away and out of parent control, it was like a mini-day-care. Excellent selection of local and appropriate music to listen to that was at appropriate volume levels to be able to enjoy. Parking was difficult, but there were bus shuttles to the local school that ran every few minutes, so that was helpful. They had a classic car show, that was fun to walk around. I think they should have had more 'competition' style activities.

Great local winery- beautiful setting and live music at times…read more Find a Peaceful spot by the river.total bliss Try one if the wine flights - delicious!

We had a lovely experience at grandfather Vineyard recently while on vacation. We decided to come…read moreon a whim while staying in seven devils and enjoyed lovely life, music, and lots of local vendor foods and treats. The grounds were absolutely beautiful with ample seating, both near the water and across the yard near the stage. The staff was great about consistently cleaning up to keep away bees, or any sort of other pests. It was lovely to see so many families and even dogs which made it a more casual and fun experience overall. We tried the dry flight and overall really enjoyed it! We are usually red wine drinkers, but overall actually preferred the whites instead. Only negative was that they didn't have any of the umbrellas set up at the tables and the sun was quite bright and hot that day so it was difficult to find a location with shade and a table. We had to choose two chairs under some shade and use a third chair as a temporary table which made our experience a little less comfortable. We ended up purchasing two bottles of the white wines from our flight and would highly recommend others coming back in the future.

Art in the Park was an adorable event. We found free parking nearby and walked through the booths…read more I didn't buy anything, but there were a wide variety of pieces for sale. I especially liked the waterfowl decoys and carved wood pieces.

We traveled here to visit friends and to explore the beautiful area that surrounds this town. This…read moreis a beautifully maintained town that incorporates an abundance of amazing landscaped homes and public areas. We had an opportunity to walk the downtown area exploring the shops and dined at one of its many wonderful restaurants with friends. Whether you travel in or out of the area via Routes 321 or 421 brace yourself to experience some extreme grades being this is truly a mountain town. I think most of the trip down the mountain in our Motorhome was in low gear with the jake brake engaged. We had a wonderful visit here and although we knew this trip here would be amazing it exceeded our expectations in every way, if you are traveling anywhere close to Blowing Rock it's definitely worth spending some time here...

This place is awesome-- good for the soul to walk around mountain roads and beautiful parks…read more It feels like a small ,4 street or so place with lots of park green spaces, hilly roads, boutiques, and eats of all sorts. I was luckily able to hike most of the streets of the exclusive Mayfield Park neighborhood---all on top of a glorious hill. I sweated my way through various hill streets with exclusive views. Both Westglow resort and spa AND Chetola Resort and spa are in town ( former more private and up a hill) and a refuge for those who crave privacy. Lots and lots of inns and cutesy hotels. A quite small Tanger outlet is also in town. Savings galore for myself at Banana Republic! Lake, waterfall, trails all accessible within the town center. Boone City is but :10 north on the 321. An easy drive a bit more up the mountain. It's the anniversary of my mother's passing. Just want to spend time with God, and her spirit

My review is based on a visit to the Appalachian Fair at the end of August 2023. It was packed!…read more The event is okay for Carnival rides and such. (Please take that with a little grain of salt because after living in Texas and experiencing the Texas State Fair - anything else, hmmm). There were livestock displayed which drew the attention and crowds of the youngest patrons. I didn't realize, but there was also a livestock competition that probably ended by the time I entered the grounds. I chose to purchase the pass for unlimited rides, not the wisest investment I've made. Lines were extremely long for the most popular rides that I probably would have waited at least an hour or more to experience. This is a fair, not an amusement park! I would have been better off purchasing a sheet of coupons for rides and entertainment. However, I do see the draw for friends and families to enjoy a summer day / evening of rides and fair food together. The grounds itself hosts different and various event throughout the year. There is a driving Christmas Light Show that starts the day before Thanksgiving and runs until the beginning of January. That might be an event considering to visit.

Love this fair! The concerts are great and the people are really nice. Always a fun time for the…read morewhole family.

How I managed to live in North Carolina this long and not know we had a Cheerwine Festival is mind…read moreboggling to me. This was my first year attending the event. It was advertised that you could take a train to Salisbury, NC and then the festival was in walking distance. If you drove, you'd have to look for parking in the area and walk to the event. My friend and I arrived around noon. This. Was a good time, but in the fire I'd ago In my opinion they spaced out the different vendors well so it wasn't too crowded. You were able to move through the areas easily. At times, you would have to wait for people to move, but this is expected with any festival. I liked that their website listed the vendor participating and if the vendor created a Cheerwine themed item/dish. I believe it would've ben helpful it their website also included a map of where each vendor was so you could head to the vendor you wanted immediately. There was a main location at the festival that sold Cheerwine merchandise such as: beach towels, stickers, hats, t-shirts, and displays. They had a cash and card line. Some vendors took cash, but not all so it is good to have both on you. There were live performances occurring in their center city park. I was not prepared well for the event as I literally decided to go day of. In the future I'll make sure to pack a lawn towel or small chair to sit in the park and come earlier in the day when the event first starts so it's not as hot outside.

Bottom line: The Cheerwine Festival in Salisbury is a busy and popular street festival to celebrate…read morethe regional soft drink favorite. Saw lots of Cheerwine merch/logos everywhere but not Cheerwine itself. This festival is extremely crowded and there are long lines for absolutely everything, do know that going into this one. Bring cash, you'll need it. The Deets: My friends and I made plans to hit the The Cheerwine Festival in Salisbury, NC this year. Cheerwine is a local/regional soft drink favorite, a black cherry flavored soda. Cheerwine has been made since 1917 and has been produced by the same family in North Carolina for all those years (big accomplishment in the food/beverage industry). I've been a Cheerwine fan since childhood so I was up for going to a festival bearing its name. We went down and back on Amtrak as there is a train station near to the downtown area the festival is held. I recommend going by train if possible as finding parking is not that easy for this event. Salisbury is not a huge town so you would expect that to be so. If you are not a fan of big crowds and long lines, then this festival is not for you. This festival is very "people-y" and there are long lines for EVERYTHING...food, beer/beverages, merchandise, craft/art/novelty items, cash machines (bring cash, most things here are not cheap)...everything. Of course the sound stage had a crowd around it as well. We even ducked into a local bottle shop to find some peace (see my prior review for this business) which we indeed found. My pics I took are from a pocket of peace I found outside of the crowded area. Of note, I did see that there were plenty of port-a-potties everywhere, even down alleys between buildings. While I saw Cheerwine logos and merchandise a-plenty at the festival, I really can't recall seeing any actual Cheerwine itself. Sad face. Lots of beer opportunities...not Cheerwine though. If you love those crowded street festivals, this event is your golden ticket. I found it was great to visit and experience but I'm not sure I would go out of my way to come back again.

Really good I loved playing pool there but pool tables should've been spaced out more so we don't…read morehave to cram our pool cue not trying to hit a random lady, and the arcade was good but wish they had more games there and it was kind of expensive.

From the owner: Replay Arcade, the ultimate hotspot in The Village of Banner Elk since May 2017! It's the go-to…read moredestination for parties, events, and hanging out. Packed with a mix of classic and cutting-edge games, it's the perfect place for endless fun and friendly competition!

This festival just continues to grow each year! I genuinely love checking out Festival in the Park…read moreevery single year, because there's always something new to see. There's probably hundreds of vendors at this point, from food, drinks, desserts, artists, charities, jewelry. I mean there's SO much to see at this festival! My favorite part about it is the live music. My friends and I always bring a blanket and just come lay out there and enjoy the live band. This year it was actually the same singer as last year and she was great!!! Love her voice and she always sings upbeat songs everyone knows. It's always a whole vibe. We grab food and bring our own cooler and just pick a spot up on the hill and enjoy. That's exactly what we did this year too. For food I couldn't decide what I wanted so I kinda settled for a gyro and it was pretty good, all things considered. The fries we great though! Nice to have so many food options available though. I'll continue to come to this festival year after year!! Definitely a lifetime fan.

I enjoy FITP every year. The variety of vendors lets me purchase items I can't find in my weekly…read morejourneys. It's great to find something I've never seen before. I stopped by a cookie vendor, deliciousness! However, the food lines are typically ridiculously long. Not my speed. There should be a vendor who sells water only for one price. Parking is a task and requires a lot of patience. It may help to catch a ride and skip parking altogether.